Preformed wire tie



April 14, 1964 H. F.' cox, JR

PREFORMED WIRE TIE Filed Sept. 15, 1961 United States Patent Oliice3,128,515 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 3,128,515 PREFRMED WIRE TIE Herbert F.Cox, Jr., Syracuse, N.Y., assigner to Inland Container Corporation,Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 13, 1961, Ser.No. 137,796 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-30.5)

This invention relates generally to wire ties for closing or compressingthe gathered end folds of a bag or the like and in particular to apreformed wire tie which lends itself to fabrication, and application tothe bag or the like, by automatic machinery.

The use of wire ties in the environment referred to above is, of course,old in the art. Customarily the ties are supplied as straight lengths ofwire having end loops at each Wire end. They are applied by wrapping thetie around the gathered folds of a bag or the like and then twisting theextending wire ends together. y The end loops facilitate twisting eithermanually or by a tool, and, with the extending wire ends twisted, thewire portion encircling the bag exerts radial, closing or sealing forceon the bag folds.

In my U.S. Patent No. 3,007,608 titled Liquid Dispensing Containersthere is disclosed an application of wire ties to the sealing of a bagto a flexible filling and pouring tube. This patent teaches thenecessity of having a double loop in order to gather the flexible bagaround the tube. This is particularly necessary when liquids are to beretained. When straight wire ties are used requiring manual wrappingbefore tightening, the loops are not truly circular in section and it isdifficult to obtain uniform radial pressure and, therefore, difficult toget a tight seal. The performed wire tie of the present invention isparticularly adapted for, and is herein described with relation to, suchuse in sealing a flexible bag on an entering tube. It will be understoodthat the preformed wire tie of the present invention can be used inother environments, for example in closing the gathered ends of potatobags and, in general anywhere a gathered, flexible material is to beclosed against itself or against a rigid element about which theflexible material is gathered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wire tiewhich is adapted for fabrication by automatic machinery and which has aconfiguration lending itself to both manual application and automaticmachine application to the structure it is to close or seal.

A further object of this invention is to provide a preformed wire tiewhich contains at least one loop of true circular cross-sectionresulting in uniform radial pressure when the loop is tightened.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wiretie which is suitable for fastening a flexible material around a tube orspout and winch, because of multiplicity of loops and the circularcross-section of at least one loop, will provide a seal which is liquidtight.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wiretie which, when applied to the structure it is to close or seal, ischaracterized by uniformity in the length of the twisted, extendingportion with the end loops substantially aligned or in register.` i

A further object of the present invention is to provide a preformed wiretie which is characterized by a shielding or masking of the wire tipsthereby preventing rupturing or damaging of the material upon Which thetie is installed.

These and other objects will become apparent as the description proceedswith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a plan View of a wire tie of the type familiar in the priorart and shown in the form in which it is normally supplied to users.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the prior art wire tie of FIG. 1 installed in atypical application of the tie.

FIG. 3 is a plan View of the preformed Wire tie of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the preformed wire tie of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the wire tie of the present invention prior toits complete formation and comparable to the View of the prior artstructure shown in FIG. 1

FIG. 6 is a side View of the preformed wire tie installed in anapplication identical to that shown in FIG. 2.

FIGS. l and 2 disclose a typical prior art tie and its `application tothe sealing -of a bag lto a filling and pouring tube, the applicationbeing of the type disclosed in my above mentioned patent. Referring tolFIG. 1, wire ties are conventionally supplied to users in the formthere shown. The ties have an unbent shank portion 10l which is`terminated at each end by end loops 1\1 and 12 respectively. The endloops are closed by terminal hook-.s i13 and `141 which embrace theadjacent portions of the wire yforming the end loops. The tips of thefree ends of the hooks, identified 'at 131i` and 14a are substantiallyaligned on the same side of the end loops.

In applying or installing the prior art wire ties, the tie is manuallywrapped twice around the gathered end folds of the bag and the twoextending ends of the wire are twisted together by means of the endloops 11 and 12 either manually or by a hand-held tool. Referringspecifically to FIG. 2, the Wire tie is shown as sealing the gatheredend folds of a polyethylene bag 16 about a tube 17. In applying the Wiretie of FIG. l to a structure such as that shown in FIG. 2, the helicalmajor or wrapping loop (indicated at 18 in FIG. 2) is formed insubstantially the same plane as the plane of the end loops 11 and 12. Itwill be noted that in thus applying the wire tie, whether the end loop12 is passed in front of the end loop 11 as shown in FIG. 2, or the endloop 11 is passed in front of the end loop 12, one of the tips of thefree ends of the hooks 13 or 14 will be facing outwardly from thegenerally registering end loops 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 2, where theend loop 12 is disposed in front of the end loop 11, the hook tip 14a isdisposed outwardly from the generally registering end loops 11 and 12.If the end loop 11 were disposed in front of the end loop 12, then thetip 13a of the end hook 13 would be disposed outwardly of the end loops.Thus, because the hooks 13 and 14 each have their free ends 13a and 14aon the same side of the wire tie of FIG. 1, when applied as shown inFIG. 2, one or the other of the tips 14a or 13a will be disposedoutwardly of the generally registering end loops. The tip ends 13a and14a of the wire are normally somewhat sharp or jagged because of thewire cutting operation. Particularly in applications such as that shownin FIG. 2, in manipulating the container and closing the bag and thetube sealed thereto by the wire tie, the jagged outwardly disposed tip14a of the Wire tie can contact the bag folds and causes rupture ordamage to the bag.

The preformed wire tie of the present invention is free of thestructural disadvantage referred to above. FIGS. 3-6 disclose the wiretie of the present invention and referring specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4it will be seen that the wire tie is integrally formed of a length ofwire so as to provide a generally circular wrapping loop indicatedgenerally at 21. The terminal portions 22 and 23 of the wire forming theloop 21 extend tangentially from the loop in converging relation to eachother and are formed to provide generally registering end loops 24 and26. The end loop 24 is closed by a terminal hook 27 embracing theadjacent terminal wire portion. Similarly the end loop 26 is closed by aterminal hook 28 embracing the adjacent Wire portion 22. The tips orfree ends 27a and 28a of the hooks 27 and 28 are disposed on the facingsides of the generally registering end loops 24 and 26.

As will be evident from FIG. 4 the Wrapping loop 21 takes the generalform of a helix which lacks a complete two-coil configuration by thedistance between the terminal wire portions 22 and 23, the wrapping loop21 being therefore referred to hereinafter as being of a substantiallytwo-coil helix configuration. There will be at least one complete coilwhich, having preferably been formed on a rigid mandrel by mechanicalmeans, will be uniformly circular in cross-section. The diameter of thehelix is such that it can be readily slipped over the gathered folds ofthe bag to which it is to be applied. It will be understood that thediameter of the helix can be varied for the particular application ofthe wire ties.

FIG. 5 illustrates the wire tie of the present invention before it hasbeen formed into its final configuration of FIG. 3 and is comparable tothe view of a prior art wire tie shown in FIG. 1. It will beparticularly noted that the arrangement of FIG. 5 differs from that ofFIG. 1 in that the tips 27a and 28a of the terminal hooks 27 and 28 areon opposite sides of the portions 22 and 23 of the tie. Because of thisarrangement when the tie is formed into its final configurationillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 the tips 27a and 28a are disposed inwardlyof the outer faces of the end loops 24 and 26.

The preformed wire ties of the present invention are supplied to theuser in the form shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In applying the ties, asillustrated in FIG. 6, the helical wrapping loop portion 21 is slippedover the gathered folds of the bag 16. The end loops 24 and 26 receivethe hook or hooks of a hand-held or bench type twisting tool which pullsthe helical wrapping loop 21 tight about the bag folds and twists theportions 22 and 23, this twisted portion being indicated at 31 in FIG.6. As will be evident from FIG. 6, upon completion of the application ofthe wire tie, the tips 27a and 28a of the hooks 27 and 28 are disposedat the facing sides of the generally registering end loops 24 and 26thereby masking or shielding these sharp tips from contact with the bagfolds in subsequent handling of the package structure.

It will also be evident from FIG. 6 that loop 21 of the helix will beuniformly formed in a circular cross-section and will be parallel to theremaining loop 21a, thus providing a uniform radial pressure around thetube 17 through the flexible material 16.

While wire of any suitable type may be used to fabricate the preformedwire tie of the present invention, for use in the food processingindustry a typical wire would be 16B&S guage of tinned or galvanizediron or stainless steel. Since the wrapping loop 21 and the end loops 24and 26 all lie in substantially the same or closely parallel planes, thegenerally flat configuration of the preformed tie lends itself readilyto forming by automatic machinery and has obvious transport and storageadvantages. While the preformed wire loop may be slipped over or appliedto the bag folds manually, it will be evident that the structure is suchas to lend itself to application to the bag folds by automatic machineryof a simplified type as compared to the machinery necessary forautomatic application of the straight, unformed tie of the prior art.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail inthe drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modificationsmay readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and withinthe broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appendedclaims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A preformed wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag orthe like, said Wire tie being formed to provide a generally circularwrapping loop intermediate the wire tie ends with terminal portions ofthe wire extending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permittingthe loop to be slipped over the gathered end folds of a bag, saidWrapping loop being formed as a substantially two coil helix with atleast one coil of uniformly circular cross-section, said terminalportions of the wire forming the helix extending tangentially therefromin converging relation to each other, generally registering end loopswhich face each other in side-by-side relation formed on said terminalportions, said end loops lying in planes substantially parallel to theplane of said wrapping loop and being closed by hooks formed to embracethe adjacent terminal wire portions with the free tips of said hooksdisposed at the facing sides of said generally registering end loops.

2. A preformed Wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag orthe like, said wire tie being formed to provide a generally circularwrapping loop intermediate the wire tie ends with terminal portions ofthe wire extending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permittingthe loop to be slipped over the gathered end folds of a bag, saidwrapping loop being formed as a substantially two coil helix with atleast one coil of uniformly circular cross-section, said terminalportions of the wire forming the helix extending tangentially therefromin converging relation to each other, and generally registering endloops formed on said terminal portions, said end loops lying in planessubstantially parallel to the plane of said Wrapping loop.

3. A preformed wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag orthe like, said wire tie being formed to provide a wrapping loopintermediate the Wire tie ends with terminal portions of the wireextending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permitting the loopto be slipped over the article to be closed, said wrapping loop beingformed as a substantially two coil helix with at least one coil ofuniformly circular cross-section, said terminal portions of the wireforming the helix extending tangentially therefrom in convergingrelation to each other, generally registering end loops which face eachother in side-by-side relation formed on said terminal portions, saidend loops lying in planes substantially parallel to the plane of saidwrapping loop and being closed by hooks formed to embrace the adjacentterminal wire portions with the free tips of said hooks disposed at thefacing sides of said generally registering end loops.

4. A preformed wire tie for closing the gathered end folds of a bag orthe like, said wire tie being formed to provide a wrapping loopintermediate the wire tie ends with terminal portions of the wireextending from the loop, said loop having a diameter permitting the loopto be slipped over the article to be closed, said wrapping loop beingformed as a multiple coil helix with at least one coil of uniformlycircular cross-section, said terminal portions of the wire forming thehelix extending tangentially therefrom in converging relation to eachother, and generally registering end loops formed on said terminalportions, said end loops lying in planes substantially parallel to theplane of said wrapping loop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS409,880 Stewart Aug. 27, 1889 434,551 Ackerman Aug. 19, 1890 1,158,957Bates Nov. 2, 1915 1,234,754 Gluckeen July 31, 1917 1,306,163 Bates June10, 1919 1,386,058 Henderson Aug. 2, 1921 2,406,661 Brady Aug. 27, 1946FOREIGN PATENTS 855,517 Germany Nov. 13, 1952 389,014 Great Britain Mar.4, 1933 531,172 Italy Apr. 8, 1955

1. A PREFORMED WIRE TIE FOR CLOSING THE GATHERED END FOLDS OF A BAG ORTHE LIKE, SAID WIRE TIE BEING FORMED TO PROVIDE A GENERALLY CIRCULARWRAPPING LOOP INTERMEDIATE THE WIRE TIE ENDS WITH TERMINAL PORTIONS OFTHE WIRE EXTENDING FROM THE LOOP, SAID LOOP HAVING A DIAMETER PERMITTINGTHE LOOP TO BE SLIPPED OVER THE GATHERED END FOLDS OF A BAG, SAIDWRAPPING LOOP BEING FORMED AS A SUBSTANTIALLY TWO COIL HELIX WITH ATLEAST ONE COIL OF UNIFORMLY CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION, SAID TERMINALPORTIONS OF THE WIRE FORMING THE HELIX EXTENDING TANGENTIALLY THEREFROMIN CONVERGING